


Good Luck Getting Rid of Me

by JillyBeans_storycorner



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Bromance, Friendship/Love, Gen, idea for season 6 written before season 6, mcdanno has a fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 22:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6828196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillyBeans_storycorner/pseuds/JillyBeans_storycorner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Danny have an incredible friendship. They’re brothers and soulmates, and therefore are able to destroy each other emotionally with just a few words. When Steve goes off half cocked and nearly gets himself killed again, Danny goes off on him, with potentially devastating costs. Idea I had for Season 6, before Season 6 came into fruition. Angst, McDanno bromance, and McRoll sweetness abound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Luck Getting Rid of Me

**Author's Note:**

> This one got away from me and wrote itself. *Insert 'I just have a lot of feelings' gif*

Danny slammed the door behind him as he entered. It felt good. Really good. He’d been holding it in for weeks now, putting on a brave front for the sake of the kids.

 _His kids. Plural. ___

For weeks he curbed the impulse to scream at Rachel, to get in her face and demand an explanation, even though there is none to be had. What she did was unexplainable, unexplainable and unforgivable. But he couldn’t, because Grace had screamed at her mother enough for the both of them; red faced, eyes shining with unshed tears, that she hated her for everything she’d done to her father, for breaking up their family _twice_ , that everything was her fault and she would never speak to her again. A promise his daughter has apparently been keeping up extraordinary well. And Charlie, Charlie was just confused. Nothing in his little three year-old life made sense anymore, and it was heartbreaking. Watching his kids suffer, _his kids_ , and not being able to make it better only added more and more fuel to the inferno of rage Danny was barely containing inside him. But today, it was all coming out, and it felt _good_. 

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and threw himself down on the couch. He really should shower, or at least change his clothes, which reeked of smoke, but he didn’t have the energy for that. Not after what had transpired in the last hour.   
…..........

The team had spent the morning canvassing the island, tracking down leads on their suspect, a nasty piece of work who had graduated from arson to explosives and was officially a big enough threat for the governor to personally reassign the case to Five-0.

____A tip from Kamekona sent them to question a ‘friendly local supplier’ of liquid nitrates, who, after some persuading, gave up a description of the perp and a warehouse on Sand Island where they might find him. He and Steve had been putting on their vest, HPD back up was three minutes out, which seemed like a short enough time for even Steve’s attention span._ _ _ _

____That was until the perp came around the corner of a building and upon seeing two cops, immediately turned tail and ran. Steve, of course, took off after him despite Danny’s protest that back-up would be there any second, leaving Danny no choice but to call in that they were in pursuit on foot and chase off after his partner._ _ _ _

____That’s when he heard the _BOOM ___. Sparks and smoke shot into the sky overhead, and Danny stood frozen, staring transfixed, before sprinting in the direction of the explosion. A few yards away he was hit by a sudden wave of heat that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun, and everything to do with the burning warehouse up ahead. The building was ablaze and thick, dark, clouds of smoke were rolling off of it. Still Danny pushed forward, using his arm to cover his mouth and nose, with only one thought in mind._ _ _ _

_____“Steve!” he called out between coughs. “Steve!”_ _ _ _ _

_____He could hear the wail of sirens coming closer, and retreated back to the waterfront where the smoke was less dense. His eyes were stinging, and visibility was poor at best, but he watched and waited for Steve to appear from the smoke, probably covered in soot, dragging the perp along, with a shit eating grin on his face and a ‘Book ‘em Danno’. But the seconds were stretching out into an eternity, and there was no sign of Steve. Loud pops and crashes sounded through the air as the warehouse was virtually melting before his very eyes, and Steve still didn’t appear. The unthinkable drifted across Danny’s mind as he stared in wide-eyed horror._ _ _ _ _

______Warehouses don’t just explode…someone has to set them off…the perp…the perp that Steve was chasing. _____ _ _ _

______“Steve?” Danny whispered under his breath. He surged forward on instinct. _Steve. He had to get to Steve. ___But several pairs of hands were suddenly on him, restraining him. HPD had arrived, and no less than four uniforms were wrestling him back away from the blaze._ _ _ _ _ _

_______“No!” Danny cried out, because they didn’t understand “My partner! He’s- I have to go get him! Steve!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______“Danny.” A soft voice said, and Duke was standing in front of him, hands bracing his shoulders, _and Thank God! because Duke would understand. _____ _ _ _ _ _

________“Duke!” Danny shouted, trying to push past him, but the sergeant wouldn’t let him go. “Duke, it’s Steve! He’s…he was chasing the perp… he’s in there, we have to go! We have to go get him!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But Duke, with a surprising amount of strength for a man of his age, was instead dragging Danny away from the inferno, _away from Steve ___, and over to an ambulance, where he was forced to sit with an oxygen mask over his face and Duke standing guard in front of him, shielding him, a hand on his shoulder and muttering indiscernible words to him. Until…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Until there was a splash, followed by a commotion. Until he saw their very much alive perp being hauled out from the water onto dry land, closely followed by…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Danny ripped off the oxygen mask and charged forward. Steve was wincing, no doubt from the effects of the salt water on the cut on his forehead. He looked winded and slightly dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Danny pushed past the crowd of uniforms, right up into his partners space, a shaking finger all he could manage before his control snapped, all the emotions he’d been forcing down erupted, on top of the roller coaster of feelings he’d experienced over the course of the last minute, mingling together in a violent explosion to rival the one that had just taken out the warehouse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!? HOW MANY TIMES STEVE? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO WAIT FOR BACK-UP?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“I’m fine Danny, thanks for asking. The blast knocked me off my feet for a second but I managed to drag the perp through a window before the fire caught.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“ OH YOU’RE FINE? LOOK! LOOK AT THIS!” he pointed vehemently towards the flaming ruins of the warehouse. The HPD officers around them were all staring, but he could care less. One way or another he was going to force this through Steve’s thick skull. “THAT IS NOT FINE! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN HUMAN BARBECUE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? DO YOU?!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“It’s all right Danny.” Steve said quietly. “I’m all right.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“GOOD! PERFECT! YOU KNOW WHAT I’M GLAD YOU’RE ALL RIGHT BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT YOU’RE ‘ALL RIGHT’ ENOUGH TO CALL CATHERINE YOURSELF AND EXPLAIN WHY SHE HAS TO COME PICK YOUR ASS UP FROM THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE I AM DONE MCGARRETT! YOU HEAR ME? DONE!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________And with that he had turned on his heel, and stormed away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________But now, sitting at home with the clarity of hindsight, something was starting to nag at him. The look on Steve’s face right before he’d left him standing there. It wasn’t anger at being screamed at. It wasn’t even his kicked puppy-dog face. Steve had looked…lost. His brain now placed it as the same expression Charlie had following his surgery. A pitiful, questioning look, that wonder of how the people who were supposed to take care of him could let him hurt so badly. But his little boy is only a preschooler with no way to understand that he’s sick, where as Steve is a fully-grown adult who should know better. He had no right to be upset with Danny, where as Danny had every right to be furious with the stupid asshole._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Danny slumped back against the couch, nursing the Longboard and letting his anger fester. He was well on his way to having one fantastic pity party when his phone rang. Danny looked down at the screen and sighed, he might as well take his chewing out now and get it over with._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“Catherine,” he said, putting the phone to his ear “this really isn’t the bes-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“Danny” Catherine’s voice sounded slightly strained when she interrupted him, and Danny felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. _What if Steve wasn’t as ‘fine’ as he claimed to be? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Please tell me you have Steve with you right now.” Catherine continued._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Danny rolled his eyes. “No, your mentally touched boyfriend is not with me at the moment.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well has he called you? Have you heard from him at all?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Catherine, what’s going on?” Danny leaned forward, unable to quell the concern rising in him. “Where’s Steve? Did something happen?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t know.” Catherine replied. “The hospital called me, they said he needed stitches and has a concussion but when I got there…Danny something was wrong. He wouldn’t talk to me, I could barley get him to look at me, then I went to go get his discharge papers and when I came back he was gone. I’m worried about him. He wasn’t in a good place, and I figured he would have called you…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Ok.” Danny said, trying to get his bearings. “All right call the rest of the team, see if any of them have heard from him. I’m heading over right now to check his house. That’s probably where he went. I’ll meet you there all right?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yeah ok.” Catherine said, her voice still on edge. “I’ll see you soon.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________With that Danny hung up, grabbed his keys, and raced out the door. He had no idea what Catherine meant by Steve ‘not being in a good place’, but knowing Steve the way he did, he’d better hurry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________************************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Steve?” Danny called, bursting through the door. “Steve are you h-?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A quick glance around showed there was no need to call out a second time. Steve was slumped in the recliner, with a sullen expression, and a bottle of whisky dangling from his hand. Danny, who had rarely ever seen Steve drink anything stronger than a few beers, took that as a bad sign._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t thinks that exactly what the doctor would recommend for a concussion there buddy” Danny said, cautiously kneeling in front of his partner. Steve fixed him with a nasty glare._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Da’ hell’r _you ___doin’here?” he slurred._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Funny you should ask.” Danny replied evenly. “Catherine called me. She’s worried sick about you, and asked me to help find where you reappeared to after your little Houdini stunt from the hospital. Not the greatest finish to your disappearing act I gotta say.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Leave me alone.” Steve growled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“No can do partner. Come on, Catherine’s on her way and I know you don’t want her to see you like this.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“I said le'me alone, Danny!” Steve shot back at him. He hoisted himself out of the chair, swaying a little upon standing and took another swig from the half empty bottle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“All right that’s enough.” Danny said reaching out to take the bottle, but Steve shoved him away roughly and took another deep swig. “Steve. You need to stop. Please, I’m asking you as your friend-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Shut up!” Steve snapped viciously “Just shut up for once in your life Danny! I get it. You made it clear where you stand. I don’t care how much Cath twisted your arm; you’re off the hook so go. Just go away and leave me alone!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Steve, what are you talking about?” Danny asked desperately. He’d never seen Steve act this way before, even when he was drunk he was his happy-go-lucky self. This was a side of Steve he’d never seen before in the five years of their friendship, and it was starting to shake him to the core._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________At that moment Catherine hurried through the door. Her face changed from worry to relief upon seeing Steve there, then as she eyed the scene in front of her, her features became more schooled. She straightened up and marched over to where Steve was swaying on the spot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Steve are you ok?” she asked calmly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________“Why’d you call _him ___?” Steve sneered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Because I was worried about you.” Catherine replied matter-of-factly. She stretched out her hand. “Give me the bottle.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Is that an order?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Does it need to be?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They stared at each other, neither backing down. Danny became attune to the silent battle of wills that was taking place, not just between two equally stubborn people, but between two people who’d spent their entire adult lives in the military._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He’d always marveled at how similar Steve and Catherine were, _trust Steve to be the kind of guy who’d fall in love with the female version of himself ___, but more than that, how she could relate to him in a way that no one else ever could; solider to solider, or sailor to sailor, whatever it was, Catherine understood that side of Steve perfectly, and therefore knew how to be what he needed, better than even he could sometimes. Danny loved that about them, because he secretly knew when they did decided to make go of it, it would keep them together until their dying days; and what more could he want for his friends?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Finally, Steve dropped his shoulders in surrender, like a pouting child, and pushed the bottle towards Catherine, who took it gently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________“Thank you.” she said, placing her free hand on the small of his back. “All right, let’s go outside, we’re gonna talk.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________“Yes, _ma’am ___.” Steve grumbled, but allowed her to lead him all the same. As they walked toward the back door Catherine looked at Danny over her shoulder and mouthed ‘Stay here.’ to which Danny nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Danny paced around, unsure of what to do with himself. Eventually he took the whisky bottle Catherine had left on the table, closed it with the cap he found discarded on the kitchen floor, and stashed it away on the highest shelf he could find. He had half a mind to pour the remaining contents down the drain, but Catherine seemed to have things under control. He looked out the kitchen window at the two of them. Steve was sitting hunched over in one of the Adrodanic chairs, his head hung low. Catherine was kneeling next to him, her upper body resting on the arm of the chair, he watched as she raised a hand up and smoothed it through his hair. Danny turned away at that, feeling as though he were intruding on a private moment, and went back to the living room. He couldn’t decided which was the worse feeling: not fully being able to understand what had Steve so upset, or feeling like whatever it was, it was entirely his, Danny’s, doing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He buried his face in his hands, the image of Steve’s face when he left him standing there at the crime scene seemed to be plastered over his eyes. Danny wracked his brain trying to find the moment where he crossed the line, but he couldn’t place it. He’d yelled at Steve before, and though it had been sparked by frustration and anger, this latest shouting match came, as it always did, from a place of love and sheer concern. _Steve understood that. Right? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________The couch dipped next to him under the weight of someone too light and coordinated at the moment to be Steve._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“Hey.” Catherine said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Danny looked up at her. Her expression was soft, but her eyes were fixed on him determinedly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“You wanna tell me what happened between you and Steve this afternoon?” there was no accusation in her voice, though Danny felt he at the very least deserved that and couldn’t meet her eye when he spoke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“How much do you all ready know?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“I know about the chase, and the warehouse getting blown up, and Steve-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“Scaring the ever loving shit out of me again.” Danny concluded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Catherine nodded. “Is that what you two fought about?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“We weren’t fighting. I mean, I yelled at him, but I always yell at him when he does something stupid and nearly gets himself killed.” Danny admitted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“Do you remember exactly what you said?” Catherine pressed him softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“I told him he was an idiot for not listening to me and waiting for back-up, as usual” Danny sighed. “I told him that he could have gotten himself killed, and that if he was “ok” like he insisted he was, then he could be the one to call you this time and explain what happened and why you needed to pick him up from the hospital because I was done with it…” Danny’s voice trailed off. He looked over at Catherine who was nodding sympathetically. She took a moment before she spoke, looking as though she was planning her next words carefully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“Danny, Steve’s told you about Freddie Hart right?” she asked quietly and Danny nodded in affirmation. Catherine continued. “And you do know that just days after watching Freddie die, he was listening to his dad’s murder over the phone?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Danny nodded mutely. He hated to think about his best friend going through that much pain, in such a short amount of time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“The forty-eight hours after that-” Catherine said “I’ve known Steve for a long time. I’ve seen him go through some dark places, but that- Danny, I’ll be honest, I was scared for him. I put in for emergency leave of duty just so I could stay on the phone with him. We didn’t really even talk, he just needed to hear my voice, and I needed to hear him breathing, so I talked about nothing or read out loud to him, anything I could think of to keep him anchored until Joe could get to him. I remember that part the clearest, because I was just describing the shapes of clouds I could see out the porthole and he interrupted me. He hadn’t said a word in hours but then he just said: “Hey Cath, Joe’s here.” and I said all right and that I would talk to him soon, and then we hung up and I just kept thinking ‘Thank god. He has somebody there for him now.’ It was the exact same feeling I got three days later when he called to tell me that he was staying in Hawaii, and about the task force.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________She paused for a moment and took Danny’s hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________”And all about his new partner; this bossy, loudmouth from New Jersey who wears ties and hates everything. And the more he went on about you the more I smiled because I knew he’d found a new person, someone who could be there to anchor him, and take care of him, and I knew he was gonna be all right. I’ve always loved you for that Danny. For the way you’ve always taken care of him, even if you didn’t realize it. He’ll never admit it, but Steve needs people who’ll love him unconditionally. He hasn’t had a lot of that in his life, it’s taken its toll on him in so many ways. The biggest one being he’s terrified of losing love. Of people leaving him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________“And I told him I was ‘done’ and then walked away.” Danny felt almost sick as the words hung in the air._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________How could he have been so stupid? Catherine wasn’t exactly telling him a lot of things he didn’t all ready know, but the words had come out in anger all the same. How could he have wounded his best friend so badly and not even realized it? If he even had a best friend anymore. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“He forgave you.” Danny said finally, clinging on the only thread of hope he could see right now. “I mean, you left and he forgave you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“We’re working through it.” Catherine said. “I don’t know if he’s forgiven me yet. I explained to Steve, and he understands, that I knew, and he knew, we were gonna end up married at the rate we were headed. And I wanted to marry him, I did, but a part of me still wasn’t ready to be settled yet. I still needed that greater purpose I had in the Navy. I’ve come to realize I left before I was ready because I thought I wanted to settle down, with Steve, and it became one great big be careful what you wish for. And then I found that purpose again, teaching the kids in that village, and I knew if I went back I would screw things up for good this time. So I did the hardest thing I will probably ever do in my life, I told Steve I loved him, and that I wanted him to be happy, and not to wait for me. I let him go.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“He still waited.” Danny offered with a small squeeze of his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“He did.” Catherine agreed, wiping underneath her eyes. “I got to that point where I missed home so much, it hurt everyday, but I was afraid to come back, because there was every chance that Steve wouldn’t be there. But then Kono called to invite me to the wedding, and I ran out of excuses, and there he was. He waited for me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Danny cast a weary eye out to Steve’s figure, silhouetted against the ocean in the chair Catherine had left him in._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“You think he’s waiting for me too?” Danny asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“There’s only one way to find out.” Catherine replied softly, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “I’m gonna go start dinner. You go talk to your best friend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________***********************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The sun had just begun to set over the horizon, painting the sky and the Pacific Ocean below in its usual vibrant shades of orange and pink. Danny made his way across the lawn, and sat down in his usual chair next to Steve’s, where they had sat so many times before, watching the same sunset, sharing beers, and jokes, and stories. A hallmark of their friendship. _A friendship he may have single handedly just shattered into a million, unmendable pieces. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Steve was still hunched forward in his chair, and refused to look at Danny as he sat down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Steve” Danny said heavily. “I’m sorry. I know I acted like an asshole today, but you’ve got to believe me that I didn’t mean for what I said to come out the way it did.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________He reached out for Steve’s hand and felt a piece of his heart fracture when Steve yanked it away. Their relationship was partially built on a foundation of little affectionate touches that came as naturally as breathing. Steve wasn’t big on words, and Danny had always been a very physical person, so those light little pats on the back, punches on the arm, and, in desperate times like this, a touch of the hand or an all encompassing hug was how they said ‘I love you’. Steve withdrawing from his touch now was not a signal Danny had been praying to receive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Steve” he said again, trying to convey the emotion that he usually channeled through his hands into his words. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else I can say except I’m sorry, and I didn’t mean to hurt you. So please just talk to me. Tell me what to do to fix this, cause I’ll do it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Steve finally turned a steely gaze on him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“You left me alone in the hospital Danno.” he said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“I know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“No you don’t. I’ve never been in a hospital alone since I met you. You’re always there. Every time. Even if it was a military hospital, halfway around the world, in the middle of a war zone, I woke-up and you were there. You would always come with me, or come get me, you were always there.” The inside corners of Steve’s eyes were starting to glisten, something both he and Danny would attribute to the whisky later._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“That really means a lot to you doesn’t it?” Danny reasoned, and Steve nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Back when I was on active duty,” he said with a gulp “I had some- close calls. I wound up in the hospital more times than I liked. I hate hospitals. And I was always alone. My C.O. would come in from time to time to check on me, and maybe sometimes there’d be another guy from my unit in the next bed, but most of the time I was alone. But then you came along and I wasn’t alone. Not until today.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“I’m sorry.” Danny said solemnly. “I’m so sorry babe. I never should have left you there, I’m sorry. I was angry and stupid and I…” he honestly didn’t have words for what he was at that moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“You said you were done with me.” Steve’s eyes bore into his, the raw pain behind the steely blue so intense that it made Danny sick to his stomach to think he was reason for putting it there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“No!” he said quickly “I never said I was done with you. I would never say that. I said I was done. I was done with the situation, Steven. I was done with having an honest to god panic attack, because today adds to the much too long list of horrifying times in my life where I genuinely thought I was never gonna see you again. Steve I thought you’d burned to death in that building! Do you have any idea what that’s like? I thought I’d lost you and I was having an actual panic attack because I can’t lose you ok? I can’t. That’s what I’m done with Steve. You acting like your life doesn’t matter. Because it does. It matters so much, to Catherine, to Kono and Chin, and Lou, to those two amazing kids of mine who so lovingly refer to you as ‘Uncle Steve’, and me. You matter to me Steve. Look around you babe, if I don’t have you, I don’t have anyone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“You have Grace and Charlie.” Steve corrected him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Yes, I do, and they are my whole world, but that world would fall apart in seconds if I didn’t have my best friend there to help me hold it up. When I feel like everything is crashing down around me, and life literally cannot get any worse, and then it does, you’re the one who’s right there to pick me back up. I can’t be alone here either partner. I’ve got two kids now, one who, I blinked and is now an irrational teenager, another who’s sick, I’m looking down the barrel of another ugly custody battle, and I know, I _know ___that I will not be able to do this if I don’t have you with me. That is why I lost it on you today. Because I thought I’d lost you, and that is unacceptable. Do you understand that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He tentatively reached out for Steve’s hand again, and this time Steve didn’t pull away. Danny wrapped his fingers around Steve’s palm and squeezed tightly. A weight lifted off his chest when Steve squeezed back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“You remember how we first met all those years ago?” Danny said, smiling at the memory in spite of himself. “You hijacked my case, and then me to be your partner.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“A ‘kidnapping’ as I believe you call it.” Steve said, his voice was thick, but it somehow sounded lighter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“That’s right.” Danny said “But I need you to remember something babe; you may have kidnapped me to be your partner, but I chose to be your friend. And I’m not going anywhere, no matter what stupid stunts you pull. So even if you change your mind, good luck getting rid me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Steve’s face broke into a genuine smile, the rare kind that Danny loved so much, that made him look younger, and right now was catching moisture in his dimples._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“C’mere.” Danny said, reaching across and pulling Steve in for a tight hug. Steve swayed a little at the movement, but nestled his head against Danny’s shoulder and returned the hug as good as he was getting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“You ok?” Danny asked, rubbing a hand lightly up and down Steve’s back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Um, kinda light headed to be honest. I feel kinda woozy when I move.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“That is what you get for drinking a quart of whisky with a concussion, you animal.” Danny said, carefully hoisting Steve to his feet. “All right, come one, let’s get you inside.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Thanks Danno.” Steve muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“What are friends for?” Danny replied, patting Steve carefully on the back. “But if you puke on me I swear I’ll kill you.” he added for good measure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________************************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Danny joined Catherine in the kitchen after getting Steve settled in on the couch. She turned to him and smiled when he entered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Hey, how’d it go? You two have a good talk?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yeah.” Danny nodded. “We did. He’s in the living room sleeping it off. I put a towel over the pillow and a trashcan next to him, just in case. Anything I can do to help in here?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yeah,” Catherine said with a smile “if you want to chop and steam the vegetables that would be great. I’m thinking chicken Parmesan for us, and chicken noodle for the patient out there.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I’m invited to dinner?” Danny asked with an earnest smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Of course you are.” Catherine said. “You’re always welcome for dinner. You know Danny, I know that things are rough for you right now, and I just want you to know that I don’t just think of you as ‘Steve’s best friend’, you’re my friend too. And if you need anything at all, whether it’s taking Grace for pedicures and letting some girl talk off her chest, or just taking the kids for a few hours because you need to have it out with Rachel, for which I will be in your corner one thousand percent, I’m here for you, as your friend, no matter what. And if you ever need a sounding board, just come to me and I’ll listen.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Thank you Catherine. Really. I appreciate that.” Danny said through the tightness in his throat. He looked up at her and managed a smile. “You’re a good friend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________************************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________When Steve finally did wake up it was to a dull pounding in his head and the slightly sickening smell of food. He pried his eyes open and was greeted with the welcome sight of a glass of water and two ibuprofen waiting for him on the coffee table. He popped the pills and downed the water carefully. He then stretched and sighed, reluctant to leave the warm nest of blankets and pillows that’d been created around him, but the sound of voices nearby roused him enough to sit-up. When he did he was treated to an even more perfect picture; Danny and Cath, two of the most important people in his life, his best friend and his girlfriend, sitting together, seemingly enjoying a pleasant meal. _Meal. ___The smell of chicken wafted over to him, making him hungry and nauseous at the same time. His ensuing groan attracted their attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“Ah, he lives.” Danny exclaimed. He jabbed his fork in Cath’s direction “Told you food would wake him up.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“How are you feeling Steve?” Cath inquired, meeting him half way across the room and guiding him to sit down at the table. “Are you hungry?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“Yeah.” Steve nodded, but it made his head hurt. “No. I don’t know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“Very articulate as usual.” Danny pointed out. _Same old Danny. And that was good. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I don’t think I could eat that.” Steve clarified, indicating to the full meal on both their plates._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well that is just fine,’ Cath said, rubbing his shoulders, “because this is our dinner. You on the other hand, are getting soup and a glass of water.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Tomato?” Steve asked hopefully. Cath’s mom had an amazing tomato bisque recipe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Homemade chicken noodle.” Cath replied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Even better.” Steve said with a smile as she leaned down to give him a quick kiss before heading into the kitchen to retrieve his soup._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You sure you’re ok, buddy?” Danny asked eyeing him wearily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Yeah, I’ll live.” Steve said and Danny smiled at his honesty. “I’m sorry I scarred you today.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“And I’m sorry for everything I said and did after.” Danny reached his hand across the table. “Still friends?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Steve smiled and clasped his partner’s hand. “Good luck getting ride of me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________-End_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> So the first being this little thought that popped into my head when I was at work and there was literally no one in the pool except for an adult doing lap swim: http://profoundlygloriousstarfish.tumblr.com/post/124762170072/i-gave-myself-a-new-idea 
> 
> The second is that I genuinely fear the fall out of when Steve and Danny finally do a real fight. Not bickering, or a cargument, but a real honest to god fight. It’ll destroy them, it’ll destroy the Ohana, and it’ll destroy us. 
> 
> And the last one being the Steve and Cath back story. I’ve always felt that it’s a big missing piece of the ship. I think it’s important to the story to show us not only how they met, but what Cath has been to Steve over the course of their many years together, as it’s implied they’ve know each other for a long time. The best reference we get to this is when Freddie is pressing Steve about Cath in the flashback and says “I’ve seen how you are with her”, and we as viewers need to see that too. Also I just really want “Smooth Dog” to have come from Steve buddies teasing him about his awkwardness when trying to flirt with Cath! 
> 
> As always constructive comments always welcome! I'm glad to be sharing my stories with a new audience.


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